b17: organizing an ecosystem Flashcards
(17 cards)
what is a producer
organism that makes its own food,
usually by photosynthesis
what is a food chain
representation of the feeding relationships within a community
what is a consumer
organism that eats other organisms for food
what is a herbivore
organism that only eats producers (plants/algea)
what is a predator
organism that kills and eats other organisms
what is a prey organism
organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
what is an apex predator
carnivore with no predator’s
what proportion of biomass is transferred from each trophic level to the one above
approximately 10%
why is biomass lost between trophic levels
- some ingested material is egested
- some material is lost as waste and water in respiration
- used in life processes such as respiration
- energy is used in movement to keep animals warm
what is the carbon cycle
process that returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide
what is the water cycle
process that provides fresh water from plants and animals on land before draining into seas and rivers
what is a decomposer
organism that breaks down dead plant and animal matter
what is the role of decomposition
returns carbon to the atmosphere and mineral ions to the soil from dead matter
what factors affect the rate of decay by decomposers
oxygen levels
moisture levels
temperature
pH
what gas does anaerobic decay produce
methane gas
how can this gas be used
as a fuel
give the environmental changes that can affect the distribution of organisms
temperature
availability of water
composition of atmospheric gases
